Thanksgiving Snow, Turkey and Blessings

As the cold front finally swept the rain and fog out of our part of the Mississsippi River valley on Thanks- giving afternoon, the rain changed quickly over to snow. We came home last night to about 1/2 inch on the ground, and this morning in the 10 a.m. sunshine it is still visible from our back door, looking over at Barb's yard.
Driving was not a problem on our way home from Edwardsville, where we were fortunate to join in the annual Myers family feast.

Gary and Karen have a wonderful view from their deck of their woodland garden and on into some common ground. I took this as we were waiting on the turkey, while the snow was beginning to fall and coat the ground.






One blessing was getting to see Lily, who is 18 months old and talking very plainly. One of her favorite words yesterday was "Pie!" And she put away quite a bit of pumpkin pie after an all-to -brief nap. Here she is with mom Michelle, grandma Karen and great-grandma Mary Ann in the kitchen while dinner was still roasting and bubbling on the stove.

Once the turkey was pronounced perfectly done, Gary prepared to carve the bird for the buffet. This was the best tasting, most moist and succulent yet.

Reflecting on this year's Thanksgiving, we were especially mindful of how much we enjoy "face time" with our friends, even though we are also grateful for the wonderful web of electronic connections we savor with cousins, nephews, nieces, their children, far-off friends, siblings, former students and everyone else who makes up our still-expanding extended family on Facebook. In this season when we celebrate abundance, it's timely to remember that even when we are worried about scarcity, we are blessed to have more than enough of love, memories, faith, and friendship.